On Monday, March 21, at noon the African and African American Studies minor is hosting a special “Read-In and Remembrance: A Gathering in Honor of bell hooks”.
“Feminist scholar and social activist bell hooks died this past December. She has so deeply impacted feminist and womanist scholarship and scholars. Because of this, we felt it was important to honor her and provide an opportunity for members of the CWRU community to come together to remember her,” Joy Bostic, associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at the College of Arts and Sciences, said. “This gathering will provide a space for those who are both new to her work and those who have been reading her work for a long time to share discoveries and memories of how bell hooks has impacted them or the people around them. Together we will read her work and remember her.”
Learn more about the event and register to attend.
To learn more about bell hooks and her impact, we asked members of the CWRU community to share their experiences and insights.
Tell us about bell hooks and your experience with her work.
Joy Bostic, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences
bell hooks was a prolific writer. She wrote about Black life and Black freedom, she engaged us in discourse on the definitions of feminism, cultural critiques of race, gender and power and what it means to teach the values of freedom and liberation in our classrooms. The first book I read of hers was Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism. This book was so powerful for me. It confirmed so many of the observations that I had and so many of the feelings that I had felt growing up and navigating the world as a Black girl and a Black woman. Her work has been foundational in many of the ways in which I have crafted my scholarly and theoretical voice.
Loron Benton, Humanities in Leadership Learning Series (HILLS) Postdoctoral Fellow
bell hooks’ writings and theories are canonical in feminist theory and teaching pedagogy. I was first introduced to hooks’ writings as an undergraduate student. I believe the first essays I ever read came from her book Black Looks: Race and Representation. This book would later become a pivotal part in the theoretical formulation of my master’s thesis on the intersections between Blackness, performativity, and sexuality in hip-hop culture. As an instructor, her work remains a central part of my teaching pedagogy and my ability to create critically engaged and transgressive feminist spaces within the classroom and beyond. I think students and all who attend the event will find hooks’ work to be vibrant, rigorous, and engaging.
Justine Howe, chair, Department of Religious Studies
bell hooks was a visionary thinker. I first read her as an undergraduate student, when I was discovering feminism as an academic approach, but more importantly as a way of being in the world. I have been most inspired by her emphasis on care and joy in the classroom. Too often we think about courses in terms of content, deadlines, and schedules. She really inspired me to transform the work of learning into a practice of self-discovery and belonging for all of my students.
What is a read-in and its significance in relation to bell hooks?
Justine Howe, chair, Department of Religious Studies
A read-in is a powerful way to honor bell hooks’ legacy as a feminist and a teacher. A read-in encourages individual and communal reflection on her inspirational vision and will allow us to consider the ways that we can carry her important legacy forward. This is a fantastic opportunity to hear and learn from fellow students and professors in an informal and supportive environment. Everyone is welcome, whether they are already avid readers of bell hooks or are encountering her for the first time.
Joy Bostic, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences
The notion of the read-in harkens us back to the activist and communal settings of the 60s and 70s. A read-in is a collective and communal space where members of the community come together to read together and discuss an author’s work. It is a contemplative space in which we can share ideas, ponder our thoughts and reflect back to one another what we hear. The intended outcome is that we leave this space a little more thoughtful, with a few more insights and new or renewed connections with others in the community.
What book or passage of bell hook’s are you bringing to the read-in?
Loron Benton, Humanities in Leadership Learning Series (HILLS) Postdoctoral Fellow
Because I have been thinking a lot about what it means to feel at home, I want to bring hooks’ essay Homeplace (A Site of Resistance) into our read-in event. For hooks, homeplace is a space cultivated by Black women to love, care for, correct, and teach each other, as well as Black folks in community with one another. I think her essay will be generative in this read-in space since collectively we have spent so much time thinking about and living in the spaces we call home.
Monday’s read-in will take place in The Gaming Room at the Tinkham Veale University Center. It isn’t necessary for attendees to know bell hooks’ work or to bring readings, although students who read her work are encouraged to do so.
Prepared readings will be provided and will give attendees the opportunity to look at particular themes in her work and see what resonates with them. Everyone who attends will have an opportunity to share stories or thoughts. This is a time to remember an important scholar and activist and to consider how her work and impact will influence us as we move forward.